The new ZXY500 controllers support payments, customer tracking and battery charging technologies.

The controller has signal-to-noise ratios and algorithms that change to reject electromagnetic interference in the operating environment, as RFID, NFC and Qi phone charging all generate wireless signals that can interfere with the operation of conventional touchscreens. Zytronic tested each of these technologies with the ZXY500 controller to prove they can be implemented close to an active touch area without compromising the touchscreen’s performance.

The controller also supports 3D touch, which enables implementation of audible touch for visually challenged users. A light touch can trigger an audible confirmation of the selected option, which can be confirmed by pressing harder.

The new controller integrates with Zytronic’s projected capacitive technology touch sensors, enabling the touch sensors to be designed with reduced non-active borders. A 55-inch diagonal touch sensor, for example, can be designed with sub 10mm borders.

“Zytronic is keenly attuned to the needs of the kiosk and vending industry, and our new controllers enable new functionality to be added alongside the touch interface, such as contactless payment and loyalty card recognition,” said Ian Crosby, sales and marketing director. “They can also enhance usability for disabled customers. The new generation of ZXY500 touch controllers is easier to integrate into a system than ever before, and enables a faster, more responsive user experience even in demanding outdoor environments where users may be operating with gloved hands.”

The ZXY500 can support up to 80 simultaneous touches, enabling multiuser interactivity and improved palm rejection functionality. It also features increased speed, updating touch coordinates in just 1ms at the controller output, reducing touch latency by a third compared to previous generation controllers and improving the user experience.

Each channel on the device can be configured via firmware to operate in transmit or receive mode, enhancing performance in applications where touchscreens of unusual aspect ratios are used.

The ZXY500 provides noise immunity on displays from 5 inches to around 86 inches diagonal, due to its 40V on-board drive signal coupled with new touch sensing algorithms.

The controller and touch sensor together can be powered from a 5V USB port, removing the need for a separate power supply.

The new controllers have been designed to be human interface device compliant and offer “plug-and-play” operation with later Windows operating systems, and also support the latest Linux and Android versions designed for multi-touch.